No matter where Angels infielder David Mershon turned as a kid, there was baseball. His father, Brian, played college ball at Illinois and spent a year in the Reds organization. He has three uncles who also played at the Division I level. Luckily, David was happy to take the heirloom, as have two of his brothers.

¡°Big baseball family,¡± Mershon said. ¡°It was kind of ingrained in us from a young age. It was never really forced on us, but my dad definitely taught it all to us. I¡¯ve played since I was 4, so I've always wanted to be a big leaguer, always wanted to be where I am right now. So I¡¯m living out the dream, and it's pretty amazing.¡±

Where he is right now is representing the Angels in the Arizona Fall League, just months after being drafted, though it wasn¡¯t 100 percent certain that he would embark on his pro career this year, even though he posted .347/.454/.500 line with 27 steals as a Draft-eligible sophomore at Mississippi State. Perhaps because he¡¯s undersized (5-foot-7) or because he had some leverage as a sophomore, he didn¡¯t hear his name called through the first 10 rounds of the 2024 Draft. The thought he might be back with the Bulldogs certainly crossed his mind.

¡°We did expect to hear it a little sooner,¡± Mershon said. ¡°When it didn't happen and Day 3 came around, we weren't really sure. If the opportunity was right, I didn't care too much about where it was, necessarily.

¡°But the Angels called in the 18th [round], and we actually didn't have a deal in place. So I went out to Los Angeles the next week and signed July 31, so a day before the deadline. It was a whirlwind, for sure, but I mean, I got to have a pretty cool moment with my parents after it happened.¡±

The Angels went over the $150,000 slot to sign Mershon for $405,000, and as is the organizational philosophy, they pushed him aggressively up to Double-A for his pro debut, where he held his own by hitting .254 over 29 games.

¡°It was kind of something that was discussed prior to signing, but when I heard that that was even an option, I was all for it,¡± Mershon said about heading to Rocket City. ¡°I love to play. I love the way that they move guys. I love everything about that. So hearing that I could potentially have that opportunity was definitely a big deal. And I enjoyed it. I like Double A; it was awesome.¡±

Now he¡¯s getting more swings with the Mesa Solar Sox as one of two members of the most recent Draft class in the AFL (Royals first-rounder Jac Caglianone is the other). His objectives are pretty straight-forward as he¡¯s still getting acclimated to this new level of baseball while reconnecting with those he knew during his high school days.

¡°Really just still getting used to all of it, trying to figure out pro baseball,¡± Mershon said. ¡°I'm very grateful to be out here. I know a lot of guys that I played high school travel ball with are out here too, so I'm just going to enjoy playing with them. Xavier Isaac is a guy on our team who I played a lot of summer baseball with growing up, and Cole Young's another guy. So I'm just excited to play with those guys and keep working on my craft and keep getting used to the bigger stage.¡±

Angels hitters in the Fall League

Cole Fontenelle, 3B (No. 21): Taken in the seventh round of the 2023 Draft, Fontenelle had gone from the University of Washington to McLennan Junior College to Texas Christian for college ball before being signed by the Angels. As is their tendency, the Angels pushed him to Double-A to start his first full season, but he played just 22 games when a slide into second caused both a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula. He¡¯s shaking the rust off this fall, but he¡¯s a switch-hitter with some pop and a chance to stick at third.

Niko Kavadas, 1B (No. 29): Kavadas began his pro career with the Red Sox, having been selected in Round 11 of the 2021 Draft out of Notre Dame. He established his power-hitting bona fides by smashing 26 homers and reaching Double-A in his first full season (2022), then hit 23 more a year later. He had 17 homers and a .975 OPS in Triple-A this year when he was sent to the Angels at the Trade Deadline in the Luis Garc¨ªa deal, and he made his big league debut in mid-August. After 23 more home runs this season, the AFL could help him make a full-time leap to the big league lineup in 2025.

Angels pitchers in the Fall League

Logan Britt, RHP: Britt spent three years at Texas A&M and then one at Abilene Christian University ... as an outfielder. The Angels took him in the 17th round of the 2023 Draft and put the 6-foot-5 right-hander on the mound. He has a grand total of 21 2/3 innings on his pro resume heading into the Fall League but has shown that he can run his fastball up into the mid-90s with a breaking ball.

Jack Dashwood, LHP: A 6-foot-6 lefty, Dashwood was a 12th-round pick out of UC Santa Barbara back in 2019 after missing his 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery. He topped 100 innings in his first pro season in 2021 but has had trouble staying healthy since, throwing just 40 innings in the last two seasons combined (10 this year). The 26-year-old southpaw does have a low-90s fastball and a mid-80s slider that can miss bats.

Brandon Dufault, RHP: A 16th-rounder in the 2021 Draft out of Northeastern University, Dufault has missed plenty of bats (11.6 K/9) as a pro reliever, but he¡¯s also missed the strike zone (6.1 BB/9). He hasn¡¯t pitched since June of 2023 because of Tommy John surgery, but the 6-foot-5, 204-pound right-hander was pumping fastballs into the upper-90s before the elbow injury.

Houston Harding, LHP: Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State following the 2021 Draft, Harding spent two non-descript seasons pitching almost entirely as a reliever. He began the year in Triple-A, but also saw time in Double-A and High-A, getting some time as a starter. His best pitch is probably his changeup, which is a spin-killing offering that can miss bats and get chases.

Samy Natera Jr., LHP: A 6-foot-4 lefty taken in Round 17 of the 2022 Draft out of New Mexico State, Natera spent most of his first full season with High-A Tri-City and struck out 11.6 per nine. But he spent nearly all of the 2024 season on the 60-day injured list, returning for five effective outings back with Tri-City in August. His fastball touches the mid-90s, perhaps a tick or two higher, and he has a decent breaking ball.